The 2013 Hawaiian Ironman world championship won’t figure when the most popular television programs of the year are compiled. With just 66,000 metropolitan viewers, the triathlon did not even make the top 100 shows for October 20, the day it was broadcast on
Seven
.

But the Sunday afternoon broadcast of “the most gruelling competition in sports" has sparked an unlikely dispute between Seven, long-time broadcaster
Ten Network Holdings
and the World Triathlon Corporation.

Ten were ready to broadcast the event only to be told on the Saturday its contract with WTC had been “terminated". A day later the same event – which featured Australian
Mirinda Carfrae
in the women’s race – appeared on Seven.

On Friday, lawyers working for Ten, Baker & McKenzie, lodged a claim in Federal Court alleging the WTC had no right to pull its contract with Ten. Meanwhile, Seven West Media’s commercial director,
Bruce McWilliam
, and Ten’s lawyers have exchanged terse emails about which Australian free-to-air television network now has the right to broadcast the sport, including the next event (3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run) in the West Australian town of Busselton.

The Hawaii Ironman might not be in the same league as Masterchef and The X Factor. But the dispute suggests Ten is keen to take the fight to the No. 1 commercial free-to-air network whenever possible. Last week, Ten chief executive
Hamish McLennan
hit back at Seven’s complaint to the competition regulator over a proposed sales joint venture with
Foxtel
, describing his rival as “the 800-pound gorilla of the TV world".

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Ten and Seven are no strangers to legal wrangling. Both networks ended up in the NSW Supreme Court after Seven sales chief
James Warburton
defected to Ten in 2011. There were also threats over Seven’s former news and current affairs boss,
Peter Meakin
, who is also making the switch to Ten.

For its part, Seven sources say they only broadcast the Ironman after the WTC had taken the rights away from Ten. They claim Ten lost out because it was taking “two weeks" to get the races on air. It is believed McWilliam has made it clear in his correspondence to Baker & Mackenzie’s media and content partner,
Andrew Stewart
, that Seven intends to broadcast the Busselton event.

But it seems likely Ten will attempt to draw Seven into the legal argument if it proceeds further.

According to documents lodged with the Federal Court on Friday, Ten will be fighting hard to regain the rights. Ten had the contract to broadcast races between 2011 and 2015. The Ten statement claims the network was in the midst of renegotiating the broadcast rights agreement before it was terminated by the WTC.

The documents also include a schedule that lists the races Ten says it has broadcast on its ONE digital channel since July 2011, when the original broadcast deal came into place.

Ten argues that the WTC “has no prop­er basis" for terminating the agreement and “failed to comply with the terms of the agreement in purporting to terminate the licence and in failing to supply the 2013 Hawaiian Event to Ten". It goes on to claim that by “en­abl­ing Seven to broadcast the 2013 Hawaiian Event", the WTC has “en­gaged in misleading or deceptive conduct".

How the dispute plays out will be fascinating. McWilliam is not a shy, retiring type. But neither is Ten’s new legal counsel,
Stuart Thomas
, who has worked for Nine and radio station 2GB.

Much like the Hawaiian event, Busselton won’t generate big ratings. But which network gets to show it has become a symbolically important fight for the Ten and Seven networks.